Oligonucleotide-directed assembly of materials: defined oligomers.

A nano-architectural system that has high variability while maintaining component specificity is described. Tetraphenylcyclobutadiene(cyclopentadienyl)cobalt complexes and phenyleneethynylene trimers were synthesized and subsequently modified with oligonucleotides utilizing standard phosphoramidite chemistry. The resulting oligonucleotide modified organics (OMOs) were characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, and phosphate analysis. Hybridization of these OMOs resulted in a series of self-assembled oligomeric hybrids of varying length and topology. These hybrids were characterized by melting temperature, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and fluorescence spectroscopy. This model system demonstrates the power of DNA to self-assemble modules of interest-independent of the module itself.